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Janelle Jozefiak has spent nearly a decade helping with refugee health services across Tasmania, mainland Australia and the UK.
Janelle works as the Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) at the Refugee and Humanitarian Arrival Clinic (RAHAC) at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH). The clinic facilitates limited health screening for people arriving in Tasmania from a refugee background, and assists with navigating health services. RAHAC is led by Dr Alison Ratcliff, Staff Specialist – Infectious Diseases, who works alongside a GP registrar, Paediatric Specialists Naomi Tomlinson and Alina Iser, and a THS Multicultural Health Social Worker.
This Refugee Week, we remember that 1 in every 69 people worldwide is now forcibly displaced—a statistic that’s nearly doubled over the past decade.
At RAHAC, Janelle works with people who have been resettled as part of the Australian Government Humanitarian Settlement Program.
After studying nursing in Sydney, Janelle initially volunteered with the British Red Cross while living in Wales, UK in 2016. “They were asking for volunteers to resettle large volumes of families being evacuated from Syria,” she recalls. She also worked in crisis and drop-in services for people seeking asylum from other parts of the world. When she returned to Australia, she worked in the immigration detention system. “When I moved to the Launceston General Hospital (LGH) in 2019, the nursing management there recognised my interests and passion, and supported me to develop the refugee health nursing role,” she says.
“No one wants to leave their family, community or their home,” says Janelle. “Loved ones may have been lost or left behind. Sometimes there’s a lot of trauma related to needing to leave suddenly, without any possessions, or having time to plan, or perhaps having to keep plans secret for long. Suffering doesn’t end once resettled, sometimes health can decline further, and that’s due to difficulties in understanding and navigating a new system, financial barriers, and there are also long-term impacts of trauma."
Janelle enjoys working with patients of all ages, and finds it most rewarding when people return with news of reuniting with family members, graduating from university and finding a stable place to stay and sustainable work, “which reinforces some roots and a sense of belonging. It is nice to see the next generation thrive when they are supported to resettle and recover from traumatic situations. Many Tasmanians from a refugee background have already completed their studies in, for example, medicine, pharmacy, nursing. and disability and aged care, and bring diversity and lived experience to the state’s health services, or they contribute as bicultural workers and interpreters.”
She adds that she has learned a lot from the highly skilled interpreters and leaders in refugee health in Launceston and Hobart. “Launceston has a very successful and supportive model, thanks to a dedicated GP as well as a CNC. Susan Neighbour is an experienced social worker who has been working for almost 20 years and remains a fierce advocate for upholding people’s rights in the health system. At the LGH and RHH, I have had the opportunity to further develop clinical skills in tuberculosis, infectious disease screening, and paediatrics, thanks to the medical staff dedicated to improving health outcomes.”
Thanks to all our incredible staff in the Refugee Health Services, who go above and beyond every day in their compassionate care for our Tasmanian community.
The Department celebrates our diversity and continues to ensure our health system is as supportive and inclusive as possible. Find information on the statewide Interpreter Booking Service available to non-English speaking patients, and other culture, language and health support services here: www.health.tas.gov.au/professionals/culture-language-and-health/supports-and-services
Our Tasmanian nurses have various stories, backgrounds, and interests, each bringing unique skills and experiences to deliver exceptional care. Visit www.jobs.tas.gov.au/work-with-department-of-health for the latest career opportunities.